Longshot Yasuhiro Urushitani ready to play spoiler at UFC on FX 2

http://mmajunkie.comSYDNEY – If you believe the oddsmakers, former Shooto bantamweight champion Yasuhiro Urushitani would have been better off just staying at home.

After all, why even bother with the competition when you’re considered as much as a 6-to-1 underdog?

Well, for Urushitani, the answer is simple. Because playing the spoiler role is what fighting is all about.

“I like to fight as the underdog, and I like to beat guys that are considered better than me,” Urushitani told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through a translator. “I’m very happy with being the underdog.”

Urushitani (19-4-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) faces Joseph Benavidez (15-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at this weekend’s UFC on FX 2 event at Sydney’s Allphones Arena. The card takes place locally on Saturday morning, but due to the time change,, it airs live Friday night in the U.S. on FX.

The winner moves on to face the victor of the same card’s Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall fight, with the winner of that bout claiming the UFC’s first-ever flyweight title.

Benavidez’s Zuffa pedigree is well-documented. While 2-0 in the octagon, he also challenged once for the WEC’s bantamweight title, though he came up short against top pound-for-pound fighter Dominick Cruz. Now fighting in a more natural weight class, Benavidez is considered by many to be the favorite to win the tournament and title.

But Urushitani is no stranger to titles. He was Shooto’s 123-pound champ before migrating to the U.S. He had to walk away from his title for this opportunity, but the Japanese fighter said that was hardly a difficult decision.

“I made an immediate decision,” Urushitani said with a laugh.

If Urushitani does have an advantage in this matchup, it may be that he’s been competing at (and actually even a little below) the flyweight limit for quite some time. Add in the fact that he’s lost just once in his past 16 outings, and he’s more than just some stiff brought in to lose to his Team Alpha Male foe.

But regardless of his talent level, Urushitani never had the chance before now to fight in the UFC. At 35 years old and just 5-foot-5, packing on the weight to compete in the promotion’s bantamweight division never really seemed like a real option.

That said, Urushitani never gave up on his UFC hopes.

“Everyone was thinking that the UFC was going to add a flyweight class, but it didn’t happen,” Urushitani said. “I was waiting and waiting and keeping it in my brain. At this time, it finally came to reality, so I’m really happy.”

Now Urushitani represents Japan in the UFC’s debut flyweight bracket. It’s a nation long known for having top lighter-weight fighters, and now is his chance to prove his longtime recognition as one of the best flyweights in the sport has always been truly deserved.

And if that opportunity comes while others think he’s just wasting his time, well don’t think the haters are going to rain on his parade.

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